Caught in a tight spot, bring a twist by throwing in the wild card. A celebrity participant suddenly decides to put an end to his/her 'on-camera reality'? No issues. Script a controversial exit. The 'real' faces of participants not adding enough glamour week after week? Bring along the star guests every weekend. Less on the drama? Ask the most notorious element in the show to jerk up a few good ones.

These are the few golden commandments for the Great Indian Reality TV. The room for wildcard entries getting wider and wilder, the participants getting weirder and worse, reality television is now surviving on the deadly twists and dares. Name any reality show that doesn't thrives on the wildcard factor and you can be a bigger name than Harshvardhan Nawathe (Oh, puhlease, rake up your brains a little for the first million-dollar reality TV winner). Bigg Boss 3 recently saw the arrival of the dude in the house, Pravesh Rana, and Vinod Kambli (he seems to have fallen for reality) as wildcard entries.

And now, when finally Shamita Shetty walked out of the house to attend her sister's wedding, here's another wildcard in the kitty. Rajesh Khanna is the contender for this one.

So, many wildcards thrown in, how interesting does the picture become? "It is obvious now that whenever there is surprise on the show, it has to be a wildcard entry. It's a smart way of bringing back some interesting elements on the show as well as improving its TRPs by building the suspense," says Charu Gupta, a UIET student. That's what exactly Sony did with their Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, by bringing in five wildcard entries.

"Usually a publicity gimmick, wildcard entries are able to get the audience hooked to the show. Even before the entry is planned, certain assumptions and rumors starts making rounds as to who it would be. So, the show is never out of the audience's mind," feels Jasjeet Singh Bains, a banking professional from city. Ask him about is favorite twist and he is in love with Raghu. "The guy just knocks out with his timing for twists. He is the baap of all stunners and Roadies would not have been half the entertainer if Raghu and his punches were absent." Sure, and with season seven bringing in the seven deadly sins in picture, be ready for the shock-a-tainment.

"Bigg Boss too scores with its sudden turn of events. Last season started the trend of firang chapter in desi tale and since the current season was short on some beefcake, this hunk model makes his entry. I hope he is worth some entertainment too," shares Shikha Chopra, a SDDIET student. She is thrilled at two latest entries on Perfect Bride too---a new girl Silkina Kaur and the return of Rajbir. "This might add more drama to the already tense situation on the show. Means more fun," she says.

Now, it's always not about shock and drama. Sometimes a wildcard entry brings back a deserving participant fallen prey to politics on the small screen. But one favour these wildcard entries on shows are doing on the media is brand building. "Every time your guess about the wildcard entry comes out to be true, you can proudly say, the reports in the media were true." That's a proud media person relating to reality shows!

nehawalia@tribunemail.com

Hollywood hottie Jessica Alba faced it, so did the hunks Tom Cruise and Pierce Brosnan. Leading model Tyra Banks was a victim too. Bullying, unfortunately, has become a resident evil, with most kids and teens admitting that they are intimidated at school. But the menace, earlier restricted to campuses and playgrounds, has now followed kids into their homes, courtesy the Internet and TV reality shows, which are the staple diet of young viewers who are feeding on anger and are getting encouraged to be curt and mean.

According to a recent research, cyber-bullying --- where children face taunts, threats and insults via the Internet and mobile phones --- is now the most common form of intimidation among students in Britain. Back home, the situation is even grimmer with a lot of children silently taking the abuse meted out by their tormenters.

It is important to take bullying seriously and not brush it off as something the kids have to deal with or part of growing up, for, it leaves deep, long-lasting emotional scars. It can turn simple things like a lunch break or going to the school bus stop a nightmare for a child. Bullying is done in many ways, could be physical (hitting/kicking) or psychological (name calling, teasing or excluding from the group). The bullied child looses confidence and interest in school. Worse, the children feel something is wrong with them and if they looked or acted differently it wouldn't be happening.

What's bothering a majority of experts, including educationists, is the way TV is promoting bullying as a cool thing. "The obscene amount of violence that children are getting exposed to on TV and the Internet today is really proving detrimental for them. Children are like sponges, they absorb what they see. If it's aggression or violence, they would lap it up t too, for they cannot distinguish between the good and the bad. They directly ape what they see on the TV," says Punita Singh, a counsellor at Carmel Convent-9.

Agrees Sanjeev Rattan, a physical education teacher in Our Lady of Fatima Convent High School, Patiala. "Bullying is on the rise and the main culprit is the television. Children emulate what they see and sadly it's nothing but aggression and violence that's being dished out by the tube," he rues.

It's not that parents are unaware about the problem being faced by their wards. Some of them have even devised ways to tackle it. Says Moon Sandhu, a kindergarten teacher and mother of two school-going boys: "Bullying is prevalent in schools. My son encountered it, but I was lucky as he confided in me and the school played a very positive role in handling the issue."

As a teacher, says Sandhu, it's important to channelise energies of students, especially the naughty ones. She also advices monitoring the content the kids are watching. "Shin Chang is a popular cartoon character amongst the kids, but he's not really the best role model as he's shown to be disrespecting parents, misbehaving with teachers, mocking and passing rude comments and using impolite language," she reasons.

Usha Sharma, a government employee and a mother of a six-year- old, faced a peculiar problem. "As my son entered school, he faced bullying. He told me about it and I met his teacher and the issue and sorted out. However, I gradually noticed that my son was showing aggression and was trying to be bully himself. I talked to him and told him that he wasn't doing the right thing," she said.

Parents can play a vital role in lessening the impact of bullying. The key to helping kids is providing strategies that deal with bullying on an everyday basis and also help restore their self-worth and sense of dignity.

"Encourage your kids to be with friends that help build their confidence. Help them meet other kids by joining sports clubs. Find activities that help the kid feel strong and confident. A karate class is not a bad idea," say experts.

"A bully or a bullied child might not confide in a parent or a teacher easily. So they have to be extra sensitive to gauge the trend. If you sit with the children and guide them properly, they will listen to you," asserts Punita.

Diverting attention to something more useful is another way of dealing with the bullies. "I usually make them in charge of discipline in the class. It usually works. If not, than we go for counseling. The last resort is to discuss the problem with the parents," chips in Rattan.

mona@tribunemail.com

A relative prominence given a syllable while playing music can make everything go bad. We call it stressing on the wrong syllable. And just is the case with our life. The six-letter word that has come to define our very existence, our every endeavor and our emotion, the relative prominence called stress. No matter how hard we try, everything seems to be too much to handle. We always blame it on the work, the pile of files, data, presentations and deadlines; widely proclaim that our personal lives are suffering due to this stress at work. But what about those who don’t even have the option of blaming the cubicle. Why, they discover their stress in friends, family, next-door neighbour, a nagging salesman behind the counter and even a pet.

“A major source of our stress comes from our personal relationships, be it marital or otherwise. The stress is built in but it mostly starts with clash of thoughts. Dealing with difficult people in and around you is not always simple, especially when they are relatives, co-workers, or people you otherwise must have in your life. Sometime even a casual conversation can lead to stress,” feels Neeru Talwar, working as manager in IIT study circle-34. Thanks to our social circle some of the most critical situations in life arise due to them. Factors like loneliness, low self esteem and confidence, dynamic emotional system may be complex mechanisms, but stress can come from a neighbour who reminds you to add anger management to your priority list or a nagging maid who dumps how-tough-is-life theories on you every morning. “Everybody is dealing with some kind of stress in their life and we are on a constant look out for a support system. Sometimes we let our frustrations out on others, which causes them to take stress, while others just keep their problems piled up until they are out in one big burst. So is the case with family or marital stress. The key here is communication. Socialise, be a good listener and change perspective,” says Rajshree Sarda, a city based psychologist.

Now, a friend is often our first hand stress buster. But it can get dicey if they choose to add to it rather than kickin’ it for you. “Unsolicited advice can be helpful, but often it’s just annoying, and repeated offers of unwanted advice can be stressful. Unfortunately, some ways of handling the stress that are told cause even more stress. The best thing is to maintain a boundary while giving and taking advice,” feels Shruti Khandelwal, a city based counselor. When you know you can’t avoid it, then its time to increase your level of positivity. “Keep your social support system ready. Connect with people, indulge in activities that make you happy, spend time with yourself. And when everything fails, be strong enough to let go of the relationship that stresses you,” adds Shruti.

nehawalia@tribunemail.com

When too much stress catches up with you, what’s your mantra to stay calm from within?

Remember the universal truth that Jane Austen emphasised in Pride and Prejudice? Mrs Bennet’s desperation turning to derangement and life revolving around marriage and other disasters. Considering marriage, mothers are same everywhere, it is as big a confusion in Kent as it is in Kanpur. But since the world got divided into three i.e. the ones who married for love, the ones who married coz they had to and the ones who married themselves (we mean singletons, don’t get the wrong idea), the truth somehow became more than what we could handle.

If the whole idea of marriage is a confusion then arranged match is what we can call an apocalypse. Don’t agree? Find any one who faces the dilemma called arranged match and he/she would explain you the point till acceptance. Not that you have to deal with the problem of plenty (believe it when we say that it is the only advantage) but the grilling criterion and the conditions apply that come with the arranged match makes it unbearable. For the poor souls who are not lucky enough to find their own match have to depend on their parents and well-wishers to auction them in the marriage market. So, every wedding and social get-together becomes a must to attend.

Theory is that 70 per cent people find their future spouse at weddings. If you don’t initiate yourself, than let your mother do the honours and she will make sure you are the most eligible catch present there. By the end of the evening, from Mrs Khanna to Dolly’s bhabhi, everybody will know that you are suitable and available. Nevermind the embarrassing queries and fatiguing interrogation about how fat is your pocket to how short is your height. The most difficult part is present ing a perfect resume. If you don’t fit into the tall, handsome, six figure salary, convent educated etc etc or fair, beautiful, slim, homely, cultured etc etc category then you are bound to be doomed. Consider this, you’ll be told that marriage is all about adjustments ( most of which you’ll have to make), not-everybody’s perfect will become your selection criterion and compromise your biggest strength. you cannot be choosy as this will hamper your market reputation. Not enough, even if you do get through the first stage of getting selected, the confusion prevails in the name of getting to know each other. Either you are not successful or you quit trying coz your wedding date is near and you cannot afford to back out now. But a thing about arranged match that needs to be applauded is that it follows gender equality. Man or woman, each has to suffer the same fate. And the proposal comes something like this- Subjected to conditions, will you marry me?

On the other hand, females are more changeable and likely to adapt their behaviour to circumstances, according to researchers. But they appreciate consistency in their partner, a review of studies analysing humans and the animal kingdom dating back more than 30 years shows.

“Our study suggests that, while males tend to exhibit more pronounced personalities, including more predictable behaviour, in a range of different contexts, females are more receptive to these traits in males,” Dr Wiebke Schuett, from the University of Exeter, who led the study, said. “We found a surprising level of similarity across a range of species,” Schuett added. The reason for these differences could lie in the theory of sexual selection, the researchers believe. Originally devised by Charles Darwin it suggests that traits evolve because of the competition between males for female attention. These attributes can range from peacock feathers to oversized antler horns. However, while scientists have in the past been confident of the effect of the phenomenon on physical characteristics they have been less sure of its impact personality. they believe that male personalities have developed over time to be more predictable help them get the girl. Dr Sasha Dall, from the University of Exeter, who led the study, said: “Females like predictability in their males as it allows them to make good long-term decisions, and to deal with changing circumstances if they know their male is consistent. ” The findings are published in the journal Biological Reviews. — ANI

Young women who love to dress up fashionably are not betraying feminist ideals, says a leading head teacher. Jill Berry, president of the Girls’ Schools Association, defended Cambridge undergraduates who posed in their underwear for an online student magazine last month and said that girls can follow fashion without compromising intelligence.

“Girls can be highly intelligent and interested in being seen to be attractive - the two aren’t mutually exclusive,” The Times quoted Berry as saying at a conference of girls’ school head teachers. “Caring about physical appearance and fashion and wanting to feel good about how you look doesn’t have to be a betrayal of some feminist ideal. “I love new shoes but it doesn’t make me shallow,” she added. Berry also extended her support to girls who quit high-flying careers to focus on having family, insisting they shouldn’t feel guilty. She admitted that there were other head teachers who disagreed but said she welcomed the “raging debate” triggered by her remarks. “I am absolutely sure that there will be people who say we have to be careful about this message,” she said. “There should be women at the top of every profession and should be more women as managing directors at FTSE level. “I think sometimes women choose not to have these things. It is not that they can’t, or that they have tried and failed. There are women who say, ‘At this stage of my life that is not what I want for myself, for my family, for my life,’” she added. — ANI

Numero Uno, the flagship brand of Numero Uno Clothing Ltd, announced the launch of its Autumn/Winter collection 2009 at the Numero Uno Exclusive Store, in Sector 17. To mark the occasion, models showcased a dazzling array of super premium Espania denims, created by using technology, sourced from Jeanologia, Spain.

Models also showcased Numero Uno’s fashionable Autumn Winter collection 2009 for both men and women to a select crowd.  Shruti Khaneja, manager retail, Numero Uno Clothing Ltd. said, “Numero Uno’s strength and success lies in knowing what today’s young and stylish customer wants- a fashion brand which gives style, comfort and value for money. Our collections are designed keeping in mind contemporary lifestyles, making sure that customers are kept abreast of what’s happening on the international fashion scene.” Numero Uno’s Autumn Winter collection 2009 for men is broadly influenced by the return of the basics with cleaner cuts and smart bodies keeping international trends in mind. Experimenting with new features such as shirt jackets, collarless shirts, cut and sew in jackets and ombray effect on flat knits. Zippered jackets in twill with embroidery at the back, in colours like khaki, olive and black and tweed jackets in anthra plain and hounds tooth are the must haves this season. Also on offer are stylised denims for men in premium fabrics with innovative washes and renewed techniques available in straight and skinny fits. Detailing includes subtle embellishments on back pockets, adjustable tabs, use of trims like leather and printed fabrics. Also on offer are fashion denims, flowy silhouettes, layered look and light-weight knitwear for women. Florescent checks in dresses and “A” line cuts for jackets are the highlights for this season. On offer is an interesting funnel-neck short jacket in soft peach twill fabric in red, granite and coffee colour. Another must have this season is a long 3 in 1 jacket for women with an option of wearing it sleeveless or just like a shrug, in black and coffee colour. This season, Numero Uno’s fashion denims for women, have glamorous accents on premium fabrics with metallic trims, crystals, gold foil and lurex embroideries. They are available in skinny, straight and slim boot fits.

The winter season brings in the era of fashion along with the dip in the temperature. Winter’s is all about experimentation with various colours, layering, and most importantly comfortable styling, which is in contrast with summertime minimalism. Koutons with its latest winter collection provides myriad choices for all those men who want to keep it stylish this winters without compromising on the comfort quotient.

This collection offers a wide range of formal and informal winter clothing of latest designs and trendiest patterns for the fashion conscious men. This collection caters to young students and working professionals. The winter wear clothesline has ample options right from Suits and blazers to cardigans, pullovers and shirts.

The winterwear range of Koutons offers an ensemble of latest designs and patterns in all the garments. Blazers, waistcoats, cardigans, pullovers and sweatshirts are a part of this extensive collection. The collection uses the finest wools, which are lightweight; yet ideal to keep one warm. Sweat-shirts and track suits are also available. For formal clothing this range offers a wide variety to choose from right from formal winter shirts, sweaters to lowers and trousers. ‘Feel Me’, the premier shirt range of Koutons has been extended to the Feel Me Plus range. These shirts can be worn on both formal and informal occasions.

The suits and blazers are an integral part of this winter collection, which is based on the Indo Western theme. There is a wide palette of rich winter colours to choose from like dark carbonic shades of maroon and blue and is a must have in the party wear section of one’s wardrobe.

As the winter season also heralds the wedding season, Koutons for the very first time has come up with matching shirt, waistcoat and tie set, an ideal wedding ensemble. This collection also flaunts a range of formal and printed trousers. Cord and Overdye trousers in colours of black, blue and brown are also available. This collection is indispensable for those who want the perfect mix of colours and latest designs. The Koutons winter wear Men’s collection offers the right combination of style and comfort to keep it warm yet stylish this chilly winter.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI), the 100 per cent owned 2-wheeler subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company, Japan –unveiled the New Aviator in the city. With the tagline ‘Live Your Style’, the New Aviator is bound to make the mature Indian males truly ‘live their style’. It comes with a host of new features, which enhance the style and premium element. It is an ideal vehicle for males who seek a premium-class product and have a flair for style.      

Powered with an 110cc engine, the new model will deliver a power of 8 bhp. The new Aviator will give 15 per cent more mileage thus making it even more economical than the previous model. This increased efficiency has been made possible because of various cutting-edge technologies.

 The new Aviator is mainly targeted at married males in the age group of 30-40 years. Being a premium product, it is meant to attract buyers who are style-conscious and seek quality and comfort. New Aviator also features the combi-brake, which makes it comfortable. Also, it strongly addresses the environmental issue. Though all the Honda products adhere strictly to the emission standards, the New Aviator adheres to even the BS-III norms which will come into effect from April next year.  Among the other attractive feature of the New Aviator includes the front Disc brake with 3 piston calipers and the alloy wheels (in Dlx Variant). Front telescopic suspension continues to aid in smooth riding.

The scooter will be available in five stylish colours – Neo Orange Metallic (new), Pearl Heron Blue (new), Rebel Red Metallic, Pearl Black and Monsoon Gray Metallic.

It was a rich cultural feast for Patialvis at the Karaoke Nite organised by the Patiala Kala Manch at the Mohan Gardens on Monday night. Music lovers could not have asked for more, as even the amateur singers belted out hit numbers from different Hindi Bollywood movies. Most of the participants were practicing doctors from the princely town and it was a delight to see top specialists singing their favourite numbers among thunderous applause. Dr Sudhir Verma, a noted cardiologist and director of the Sadbhavna Hospital, Dr Rakesh Arora of the Madhu Nursing Home, Dr Modi of Modi Nursing Home, and Dr Manjit Singh Bal, professor in the Government Medical College, were among those who delighted the audience with their favourite numbers.

Dr Sudhir Verma struck an instant rapport with the responsive audience with his all time favourite Ae mere pyaare watan from Kabuliwalah while Rakesh Arora rendered Tum ko paaya hai tou from Om Shanti Om. The audience lapped up every rendition by doctors and other professionals during the almost over two hour scintillating performance. Dr Sukhdip Singh Boparai, patron of the Patiala Kala Manch, speaking on the occasion said that the Patiala Kala Manch would continue to organise such functions for the entertainment of the art lovers. Dr Manjit Singh Bal, advisor of the Patiala Kala Manch, delighted with a hit Punjabi Gurdas Mann number. Jaspreet Singh, secretary of the manch, ably conducted the proceedings.

Bhagwinder Devgun, Ravi Chawla, Parvinder Shokh, Harpal Singh, and Manjit Singh, executive members of the Patiala Kala Manch, felicitated Dr Surinder Singh, Principal of the Government Medical College, who was the chief guest at the function. The select audience demonstrated its musical mood right at the outset when the singers started rendering favorite hits.

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has become the bone of contention between the two organisers of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), with the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) saying that the Directorate of Film Festival did not want to invite Big B.

ESG’s Red Carpet Committee member Rajendra Talak on Monday told reporters that the ESG wants to invite Bachchan to the festival, but DIFF is not keen on the idea.

“We always feel that he should come but what can we do? It is only upto the DFF,” Talak said. Responding to a question during a press conference along with Red Carpet Committee Chairman Chandrakant Kavlekar, Talak said that the ESG is not even allowed to recommend names to the Directorate. When contacted, Director of DFF, S M Khan denied that there was ever any formal or informal discussion with ESG about inviting Bachchan to the festival. “We have not received any proposal either formal or informal from ESG on inviting Amitabh Bachchan to the festival. I am in regular touch with ESG officials and there has been no such request from them,” he said.

Talak said that the society could not invite the star as it is not involved in conceptualising the event but is merely involved in logistic support. Talak, who himself is a National Award winning filmmaker, refused to offer any comment when asked whether Bachchan’s political affiliations had anything to do with not being invited for the festival. — PTI

Bollywood mega star Amitabh Bachchan is gearing up for the premiere of his upcoming film Paa and has invited Aamir Khan for the grand event.

The 67-year-old actor met Khan at his home ‘Prateeksha’ on Sunday and the two discussed their upcoming movies —Paa and 3 Idiots. “Aamir dropped by yesterday in the morning at my invitation and it was lovely to spend time with him, discuss the film, show him the promo, receive his appreciation, talk about his own film and invite him for the premiere,” Bachchan wrote in his blog. Khan is awaiting the release of 3 Idiots, which is scheduled to hit theatres on December 25 this year. Both the stars also discussed the promotional strategies for the films. The team of Paa is racing against time to finish the last technical details of the film, which will see Amitabh playing a 13-year-old child suffering from progeria, a rare genetic disorder which accelerates ageing.

“Balki (director of Paa) wishes that I drop by for a day to have a final look at the background and the mix, before it all goes into print. Our fate now lies in the hands of technicians,” Bachchan wrote.

Meanwhile, the Bachchan family is gearing up for Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s 101 birth anniversary. “I must start rehearsing for the poetic symposium to be held on 28th November at the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. There is work to be executed on the day by all members of the family and they need to be rehearsed,” Bachchan wrote. — PTI

Fusion music band ‘Indian Ocean’, who touched a chord with its soulful rendition of Bandeh in director Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday, is all set to step into Bollywood once again by composing for Aamir Khan’s next venture.

“We are giving music in one of Aamir Khan production. I can’t disclose the name of the movie but we are doing it,” Rahul Ram, vocalist and bass guitarist of the band said on the sidelines of the Frog Fest 2009. The band, which has a huge following among the youth with hits like Kandisa, Bhor and Jhini, is also working in another Hindi film, which stars Seema Biswas, Shahana Goswami and Pawan Malhotra of Black Friday.

“We are also giving music to Bhoomi, a film shot by Aveek Mukhopadhya who had assisted Rituparno Ghosh as a cinematographer,” Ram added.

The band, which was formed in 1990, has been hailed for creating a cross-cultural blend of music by mixing jazz-spiced sounds, rock, shlokas and sufism with environmentalism, mythology and revolution.

The group, however, owes its rise to stardom to the immense popularity that they enjoy in college students. “Most of our money comes from shows and live performances. No mainstream is going to ask us but we are doing new songs,” said Ram. — PTI

Indian Idol 3 finalist Meiyung Chang from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, is reportedly making his big screen debut alongside Shahid Kapoor. The film, which is actor Parmeet Sethi’s directorial debut, also stars Anushka Sharma and is being produced by Yash Raj Films. Chang, as he’s affectionately known in the industry, has been strictly prohibited from talking about his acting debut.

The film’s composer Pritam Chakraborty, when asked if he had any hand in Chang’s casting, denied it saying: “Chang is a dear friend and he is seeing Monali Thakur. But I had nothing to do with it. Nor did I have any hand in his casting in Parmeet’s film. I’m only the music composer on that project.” — IANS

Paresh Rawal says that he will feature in one of the lead roles in Boom director Kaizad Gustad’s next and that it will also star Sanjay Dutt and Naseeruddin Shah.

“Yes, in principle I’ve agreed to be in Kaizad’s film with Sanjay and Naseer. I’ve worked with Sanjay before. And it’s always a pleasure to work with Naseer who is my favourite,” Paresh said.

“But more than the cast it’s the script that I found exciting. Kaizad’s film has a very strong element of human drama. At this stage of my career I need roles which challenge me as an actor,” he added.

Kaizad is said to be strapped for a producer, but Paresh says the project is on.

“I think he’s getting the producer in place,” said Paresh who is getting ready for the release of De Dana Dan.

He admits the roles that he relishes are rare nowadays. “I need new challenges. And what’s being offered to me isn’t challenging me.”

According to a source, Sanjay feels a strong sense of empathy for Kaizad who has been embroiled in a legal battle for a while. He has assured Kaizad that he will either produce the film himself or get a producer. — IANS